Rotary water sprinkler

ABSTRACT

A ROTARY WATER SPRINKLER HAS A TUBULAR BODY ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO A SUPPLY OF WATER UNDER PRESSURE, A NOZZLE ASSEMBLY SUPPORTED BY AND ROTATABLE ABOUT THE TUBULAR BODY, THE ASSEMBLY INCLUDING AN UPWARDLY DIRECTED NOZZLE, A SWING ARM HAVING A HUB PORTION SURROUNDING AND MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ON THE TUBULAR BODY, AN ARM EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM THE HUB-PORTION AND A SPOONLIKE PORTION ON THE ARM WHICH IS IMPINGED BY A JET ISSUING FROM THE NOZZLE TO ROTATE THE ARM AND BIASSING MEANS WHICH ROTATES THE ARM IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO ENGAGE THE NOZZLE ASSEMBLY AND TO ROTATE THE ASSEMBLY THROUGH A SMALL ANGLE.   D R A W I N G

Mal-ch20, 1973 A. J. GREEN 3,721,388

ROTARY WATER SPRINKLER Filed May 7, 1971 2 Sheetw-Shwt 1 Jigi t 1973 A. J. GREEN 3,?m,,3%

ROTARY WATER SPRINKLER Filed May 7. 1971 2 smem smm 2 United States Patent 3,721,388 ROTARY WATER SPRINKLER Alfred James Green, Poole, England, assignor to Westbourne Engineering (Bournemouth) Limited, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England Filed May 7, 1971, Ser. No. 141,250 Claims priority, application Great Britain, May 7, 1970, 22,106/ 70 Int. Cl. Bb 3/02 US. Cl. 239-230 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rotary water sprinkler has a tubular body adapted to be connected to a supply of water under pressure, a nozzle assembly supported by and rotatable about the tubular body, the assembly including an upwardly directed nozzle, a swing arm having a hub portion surrounding and mounted for rotation on the tubular body, an arm extending outwardly from the hub-portion and a spoonlike portion on the arm which is impinged by a jet issuing from the nozzle to rotate the arm and biassing means which rotates the arm in the opposite direction to engage the nozzle assembly and to rotate the assembly through a small angle.

This invention relates to Water sprinklers of the slow moving rotary type.

Sprinklers of this type are known and comprise a hollow body mountable on a stand-pipe, a nozzle assembly rotatable about a vertical axis and relative to the body, the assembly including at least one nozzle for directing water from the stand-pipe in an outwardly extending direction. A swing arm carried on the sprinkler is rotatable relative to the body under the action of biassing means to a position in which a spoon-like portion at one end of the swing arm is impinged upon by a jet of water issuing from one of the nozzles when the sprinkler is in use. The action of the jet impinging upon the spoon-like portion causes the swing arm to be driven against the action of the biassing means away from the jet. The biassing means then causes the swing arm to swing back and strike the nozzle assembly with sufficient force to displace it through a small angle relative to the stand-pipe. This action is continuously repeated when the sprinkler is in use and the sprinkler thus slowly rotates in a stepby-step manner.

The sprinklers known heretofore have the swing arm rotatably mounted on a pin projecting from the nozzle assembly and it has been found that the relatively small bearing area between the swing arm and the pin is subject to considerable wear when the sprinkler is in use and consequently malfunction of the sprinkler soon occurs.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a rotary water sprinkler in which this difficulty is overcome.

According to the present invention a rotary water sprinkler comprises a tubular body adapted to be mounted with its longitudinal axis vertical and for water under pressure to be supplied to its bore, a nozzle assembly supported by the tubular body and rotatable about the longitudinal axis thereof, the assembly including a nozzle which is in communication with the bore of the body and with the axis of the nozzle directed upwardly and inclined to the longitudinal axis of the body, a swing arm having a hub portion surrounding and mounted for rotation on said tubular body and an arm extending outwardly from the hub portion and carrying a spoon-like portion arranged to be impinged upon by a jet issuing from the nozzle to rotate the swing arm in one direction of rotation and means biassing the swing arm for rotation in the opposite direction into engagement with a stop surface rotatable with said nozzle assembly.

The area of the bearing surface between the hub portion of the swing arm and the tubular body is relatively large and consequently the wear on this bearing surface is reduced when the sprinkler is in use as compared with the known arrangements where the swing arm is rotatable about a pin.

Preferably the tubular body comprises a first tubular member adapted to be mounted with its longitudinal axis vertical and a second tubular member coaxially within the first member and rotatable relative thereto, the nozzle assembly being rotatable with the second tubular member.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood it will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a sprinkler in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, and

FIG. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a sprinkler in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the tubular body of a rotary water sprinkler comprises a first tubular member in the form of a bearing nut 1 which is threaded externally at its lower end to permit the nut to be screwed into an internally threaded socket on a vertical stand-pipe; the longitudinal axis of the nut then being vertical. Within the bearing nut and co-axial therewith is a second tubular, member 2. Sealing and bearing washers 3 surrounding the tubular member 2 are positioned below the bearing nut 1 and are held in position by a circlip 4 attached to the lower end of the member 2. The upper end of the tubular member 2 is attached to a body portion 5 which defines a water passage 6 connecting the bore of the tubular member 2 to a nozzle 7 the axis of which is inclined to the vertical axis of the member 2. A further nozzle 8 which is inclined to the vertical axis may also be provided on the body 5. A cap 9 surrounds the upper end of the member 2 and is biassed away from the member 1 into engagement with the underside of the body 5 by means of a coil spring 10. The upper surface of the cap is provided with one or more upstanding projections 11 and the adjacent surface of the body is provided with recesses 11 to accommodate the projections 11.

A swing arm assembly 12 has a tubular hub portion 13 which is mounted on the first tubular member 1 with a bearing bush 14 between them. The bearing bush provides a relatively large bearing surface between the two parts. The upper end of the hub portion 13 is positioned beneath the cap and the hub portion is rotatable relative to the member 1 against the action of biassing means in the form of a spring 15 which surrounds the spring 10 and is secured at one end to the cap 9 and at the other end to the hub portion 13. T o adjust the biassing effect of the spring 15, the cap 9 is forced downwardly away from the nozzle assembly sufficiently for the projections 11 to be withdrawn from the recesses 11 and the cap is rotated through an angle to adjust the spring tension. The projections are then repositioned in the recesses 11 The hub portion 13 carries an arm 16, a portion of which extends outwardly and upwardly from the hub portion and at its upper end carries a spoon-like portion 17. This portion 17 is positioned so as to pass through the jet issuing from the nozzle 7 when the sprinkler is in use and the arm is rotated relative to the bearing nut 1. When the jet impinges upon the spoon-like portion 17, the arm is deflected by the jet and rotated against the action of the spring 15. When the portion 17 has moved away from the jet the spring causes it to swing back in the opposite direction and the arm abuts sharply against a stop surface 18 provided by a lug on the nozzle assembly and causing the nozzle assembly to be rotated through a small angle with respect to the bearing nut 1. The jet from the nozzle again impinges on the portion 17 causing it to be displaced and to then apply a further impact against the stop surface 18. The nozzle assembly is thus slowly rotated with respect to the stand-pipe on which the sprinkler is mounted thus eventually irrigating an area of circular plan surrounding the stand-pipe.

Referring now to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 2, the first tubular member 1 surrounds the second tubular member 2 and the lower end of the member 2 is threaded to receive a nut which engages the underside of the bearing washers 3. It is envisaged that by making the nut 20- of a suitable plastic material the washers 3 may be omitted. The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 also differs from that shown in FIG. 1 in that the spray arm 16 is engageable with a stop surface 18 in the form of a lug depending downwardly from the body portion 5.

What is claimed is:

1. A rotary water sprinkler comprising,

a tubular body having a bore with a longitudinal axis and adapted to be afiixed to a pressurized water source with the longitudinal axis of its bore vertical,

a nozzle assembly including a tubular member coaxially mounted within the bore of the tubular body for rotation with respect to the tubular body, a body portion supported by the tubular member and defining a passageway in communication with the bore of the tubular member, and a nozzle carried by said body portion and in communication with said passageway, said nozzle having an axis which is directed upwardly and inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the tubular body,

a swing arm assembly including a hub spaced from the nozzle assembly and surrounding and mounted for rotation on said tubular body, an arm extending outwardly from the hub and a spoon-like member carried by the arm and positioned to be impinged upon by a jet issuing from the nozzle to rotate the swing arm assembly in one direction of rotation and,

means biasing the swing arm assembly for rotation in the opposite direction into engagement with the nozzle assembly.

2. A rotary water sprinkler as claimed in claim 1 wherein the nozzle assembly includes a cap which overlies the upper ends of the tubular body and the hub of the swing arm assembly.

3. A rotary water sprinkler as claimed in claim 2 in which the cap is separate from the body portion of the nozzle assembly and including biassing means acting between the tubular body and said cap to urge said cap into abutment with the undersurface of the body portion of the nozzle assembly.

4. A rotary water sprinkler as claimed in claim 3 wherein the means biassing the swing arm assembly comprises a coil spring surrounding the tubular member of the nozzle assembly and connected to the cap and the swing arm assembly.

5. A rotary water sprinkler as claimed in claim 3 in which the abutting surfaces of said cap and body portion are provided with co-acting projections and recesses respectively which permit relative rotation between the cap and the body portion when the projections and recesses are disengaged and prevent relative rotation between the cap and body portion when the projections and the recesses are engaged.

6. A rotary water sprinkler as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hub is disposed below said body portion and nozzle and above the location at which the tubular body is adapted to be afiixed to the pressurized water source.

7. A rotary water sprinkler as claimed in claim 1 kn eluding a bearing bush interposed between the tubular body and the hub of the swing arm assembly.

8. A rotary water sprinkler as claimed in claim 7 wherein said bearing bush rests on said tubular body and surrounds the same over a portion of the length thereof, said hub resting on said bush.

9. A rotary water sprinkler as claimed in claim 1 in which the lower end of the tubular body is externally threaded for mounting the body in an internally threaded socket of a stand pipe.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,043,522 7/1962 Ryerson 239230 3,033,469 5/1962 Green 239-233 X 3,563,465 2/1971 Foreman 239233 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,129,339 5/1962 Germany 239-233 RICHARD A. SCHACHER, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 239233 

